Belgium's King Albert II announces abdication - BBC News BBC News Belgium's King Albert II announces abdication 3 July 2013 Media captionKing Albert: "The time has come to pass the flame to the next generation" The King of the Belgians, Albert II, has announced his abdication. In a national televised address, the 79-year-old monarch said he would step down in favour of his son Crown Prince Philippe, 53, on 21 July, Belgium's national day. He said his health was no longer good enough to fulfil his duties, and he would step down after nearly 20 years on the throne. King Albert was sworn in as the sixth king of the Belgians on 9 August 1993. His accession to the throne followed the death of his brother, King Baudouin, at the age of 62. "I realise that my age and my health are no longer allowing me to carry out my duties as I would like to," he said in his address. "Prince Philippe is well prepared to succeed me." King Albert met the Belgian government's cabinet earlier on Wednesday to inform them of his decision, Belgian state TV reported.

Royal scandal Analysis By Matthew PriceBBC News, Brussels This is a small but pivotal nation in Europe. The headquarters of the European Union. And yet Belgium is a country increasingly divided between its Dutch (Flemish) and French-speaking regions. In recent years King Albert II has been part of the glue that just about holds this nation together. He intervened decisively when, for more than a year, Belgium's politicians could not form a government. What might his abdication mean for a country whose national unity is under strain more than ever before from regional forces? All Flemish political parties would like to reduce the role of the king, and some would abolish the monarchy. Much will depend on King Albert II's son and heir, Philippe. His style and personal touch could well help determine whether Belgium in the coming years remains united, or continues to split. After he succeeded his brother, King Albert became embroiled in a major royal scandal when he was alleged to be the father of an out-of-wedlock daughter, Delphine Boel, and suffered a crisis in his marriage with Queen Paola. That issue came to the fore again this spring when Ms Boel opened court proceedings to prove she was the king's daughter.

There is some speculation in the media that this may have influenced his decision to abdicate. Belgium has a constitutional monarchy in which the king plays a largely ceremonial role. One of the duties the monarch does have is trying to resolve constitutional crises. King Albert exercised his authority in mediating between political leaders on the formation of a government during the 2010-2011 parliamentary stalemate, when Belgium was left without a government for 541 days after elections failed to find a clear winner. Tensions between the two main language communities of Flemish and French sometimes run high, and the issue has brought down several governments, creating frequent political instability. Respect for the royal family, though, is one of the few factors that crosses the communal divide. King Albert's announcement comes only three months after Queen Beatrix of the neighbouring Netherlands vacated the Dutch throne in favour of her son Willem-Alexander.

King Albert II of the Belgians | European Royal History ≈ Leave a comment Tags California , Duchess of Brabant , King Albert II of the Belgians , King Leopold I of Belgium , King Leopold III , King Philippe of the Belgians , Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz , Oxford , Princess Elisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène , Salic Law , Stanford University , Trinity College Edit: I was going to post this last week but with all the news surrounding the birth of Prince George of Cambridge this got bumped. On Sunday, July 21, 2013 HM King Albert II of the Belgians abdicated, due to health reasons, and his eldest son, HRH The Duke of Brabant, took the throne as King Philippe of the Belgians. He is the 7th King of the Belgians since that country became independent in 1830. This is Belgium’s second abdication of one of their kings. In 1951 King Leopold III abdicated under pressure due to his actions during World War II.

Prior to the accession of Albert II in 1993 many thought that Philippe would be king after the death of his uncle, King Baudouin, (Albert’s elder brother) and that he was being groomed for the throne. Instead Prince Albert, Philippe’s father, took the throne as King Albert II of the Belgians. King Philippe attended the Belgian Royal Military Academy appointed the rank of second lieutenant. He continued his education at Trinity College, Oxford and did his graduate studies at Stanford University, California, where he graduated in 1985 with an Master’s Degree in Political Science. In 1999 Philippe married Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz, daughter of a was Count Patrick d’Udekem d’Acoz and Polish Countess Anna Maria Komorowska. Through both her parents the new Queen of the Belgians is a descendant of Belgian nobility and Polish nobility such as the Princes Sapieha and Counts Komorowski. They have four children.

The King, the Queen and their Family | The Belgian Monarchy The King, the Queen and their Family Home / For Children / The King, the Queen and their Family Home / For Children / The King, the Queen and their Family For children The King, the Queen and their Family King Philippe King Philippe was born on the 15th of April 1960. He is the eldest son of King Albert II and Queen Paola. As a child, he attended a French-language primary school in Brussels. He went to a Dutch-language secondary school in Loppem. As an adult, the King (who was still a Prince at the time) studied at the Royal Military Academy. He was an officer of the army, para-commando and pilot of military aircraft and helicopters. As King, he is now General of the Belgian army (for air and ground forces). Prince Philippe studied politics at the Universities of Oxford (UK) and Stanford (US). Before becoming King, Prince Philippe headed economic missions around 4 times a year. These trips abroad are an opportunity to promote Belgian companies and Belgium in other countries. These trips allow companies to establish business relations with companies from other countries.

This is very important for Belgium: a company that has good customers abroad creates jobs in our country. The King is also honorary president of the Prince Philippe Fund . The purpose of this organisation is to develop closer ties between the different language communities (Flemish, Francophone and German) of our country. For example: the Trèfle (Clover) project allows 5th or 6 th year primary pupils to spend a week in a school in a region where another language is spoken. Prince Philippe succeeded his father King Albert on the 21st of July 2013. He then became His Majesty King Philippe of the Belgians. Queen Mathilde King Philippe and Queen Mathilde married in 1999 and have four children: Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eléonore. Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz was born on the 20th of January 1973. She attended schools in Bastogne and Brussels. She studied speech therapy (all that is related to the pronunciation of words) and worked in this field before becoming a Princess. Queen Mathilde has also studied psychology.

She is very interested in issues related to education and teaching, and is involved in many organizations. When they got married, Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde did not wish to receive gifts. They asked people who wanted to give them a gift to donate money to charities helping the most vulnerable. The Princess Mathilde Fund (now Queen Mathilde Fund ) was thus created. This association comes to the assistance of people who are vulnerable, more fragile and, in particular, deprived children, who are less fortunate than others. Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, was born on the 25th of October 2001. The eldest daughter of the King and the Queen likes drawing and spends a lot of time reading. She plays the piano and takes dance lessons. Like her brothers and her sister, Elisabeth is sporty: tennis, swimming, skiing and sailing are her favourite sports. The Princess attends a Flemish-language secondary school. Crown Princess Elisabeth is the heir to the throne: one day she will succeed her father and become Queen of the Belgians. Since the 21st of July 2013, she carries the title of Duchess of Brabant.

She must already learn all about her future job and therefore participated in her first official ceremony on the 7th of September 2011. Princess Elisabeth inaugurated the new "Princess Elisabeth Hospital for Children" at Ghent University Hospital. On the 18th of October 2014, Princess Elisabeth gave her first speech, in Dutch, French and German, to commemorate the First World War. On the 6th of May 2015, the Princess baptised Pollux, the new patrol boat of the Belgian Navy. In the past, only boys could become Kings. The Constitution was changed in 1991: Princesses can now also ascend the throne and become Queen. Princess Elisabeth, who is the eldest of four children of King Philippe, is therefore the heiress of the Belgian monarchy. When she succeeds her father King Philippe, Princess Elisabeth will be the first woman to become Head of State in Belgium. Prince Gabriel Prince Gabriel was born on the 20th of August 2003. Passionate about sport, he plays hockey in a club since he was six years old. His other activities include football, cycling, tennis, swimming, skiing and sailing.

He also plays the piano. Prince Emmanuel Prince Emmanuel, born on the 4th of October 2005, loves nature. The children also have a small dog. Emmanuel plays music, especially the flute. And he enjoys cycling, swimming and skiing. Princess Eléonore Princess Eléonore is the youngest, she was born on the 16th of April 2008. Very creative, she plays the violin and loves to draw. Eléonore participates in sports with her parents, her brothers and her sister: cycling, swimming and skiing. King Albert II and Queen Paola They are the parents of King Philippe. Born in 1934, King Albert lost his mother, Queen Astrid, when he was only 1 year old. He also experienced the Second World War. As was later the case with his son Philippe, King Albert has participated in hundreds of economic missions. In 1959, Prince Albert married an Italian Princess, Paola Ruffo di Calabria. They had 3 children: Philippe, Astrid and Laurent.

King Albert II became King at the age of 59 after the sudden death of his brother, King Baudouin , in 1993. King Albert II abdicated on the 21nd of July 2013: this means that he retired from office, and decided to hand over the role of King to his eldest son Philippe, even if he keeps the title King. Princess Astrid The King's sister was born on the 5th of June 1962. After attending primary and secondary school in Brussels, she studied art history at Leiden in the Netherlands. Princess Astrid is married to Prince Lorenz. They have five children. Now that Philippe is King, Princess Astrid represents our country on economic missions abroad. Prince Laurent Prince Laurent is the third child of King Albert II and Queen Paola. He was born in Brussels on the 19th of October 1963. He shows a great interest in nature and the animal world. He is President of the Prince Laurent Foundation for the welfare of domestic and wild animals. Prince Laurent is married to Princess Claire. They have three children.

King Baudouin of the Belgians | Unofficial Royalty King Baudouin of the Belgians photo: Wikipedia King Baudouin of the Belgians King Baudouin of the Belgians reigned from July 1951 until July 1993, making him the longest reigning Belgian monarch. He was born Prince Baudouin Albert Charles Léopold Axel Marie Gustave of Belgium on September 7, 1930, at Stuyvenberg Castle, son of the future King Leopold III and Princess Astrid of Sweden . As the eldest son of the heir to the throne, he was given the traditional title of Count of Hainaut. He has two siblings: View image | gettyimages.com Baudouin was not yet four years old when his grandfather, King Albert I , was killed in a mountain-climbing accident in February 1934. Baudouin’s father became King Leopold III, and Baudouin was now heir-apparent to the Belgian throne, and titled Duke of Brabant.

The following year, on August 29, 1935, tragedy would once again come to the Belgian royal family when Baudouin’s mother, Queen Astrid, was killed in a car accident in Switzerland. Soon after his mother’s death, the family moved from Stuyvenberg Castle to the Royal Palace of Laeken , where he would live for the rest of his life. In May 1940, when the German forces were invading Belgium, Baudouin and his siblings were evacuated from Belgium, settling in France and then Spain, before returning in August of the same year. For much of the next four years, the family was under house arrest at the Palace of Laeken, where they were schooled privately. In 1944, the family was sent to Germany and then to Austria by the Germans, where they would remain until being liberated by American forces in 1945. Because of the tense political situation in Belgium, the family settled in Switzerland for several years, while King Leopold III’s brother, Charles , served as Regent. While in Switzerland, Baudouin attended the Institut Le Rosey , in Rolle.

They returned to Belgium in July 1950, however the political situation was still very tense, and many questions were raised about King Leopold’s actions relating to the war. Due to this, the following month, King Leopold transferred much of his authority to Baudouin, creating him ‘Prince Royal’. Despite this, the King abdicated less than a year later, and Baudouin succeeded as King of the Belgians, in July 1951. View image | gettyimages.com The new king maintained a very close connection with his father, who despite his abdication, continued to reside at the Palace of Laeken. This led many to fear that Leopold and his second wife, Lilian , would exert too much influence on the new king, and calls for the former King to move elsewhere. However, it wouldn’t be until after Baudouin’s marriage that this would happen. View image | gettyimages.com On December 15, 1960, King Baudouin Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón . Fabiola was from an aristocratic family in Spain, and had a close relationship with the Spanish royal family.

The two were married first in a civil ceremony, held in the Throne Room at the Royal Palace of Brussels , followed by a religious ceremony at the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula . After their marriage, they remained at the Palace of Laeken, while Baudouin’s father and stepmother soon moved to another royal property – Château d’Argenteuil – where they both remained until their deaths. Despite several pregnancies, the couple never had any children, which greatly affected both of them. Fortunately, they maintained very close relationships with his brother’s children, particularly the current King Philippe , who was a frequent visitor to their homes. Although Baudouin’s heir was his brother Albert, he saw Philippe as his true successor, and spent much time grooming him for his future role. View image | gettyimages.com On July 31, 1993, King Baudouin died suddenly at Villa Astrida, the couple’s private retreat in Motril, Spain. He was succeeded by his brother, King Albert II, who would reign for the next 20 years.

Baudouin’s funeral was held at the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula, attended by many royals from around the world. One notable guest was Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, who rarely attends royal funerals personally. Following the funeral, King Baudouin’s remains were entombed in the Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken , the traditional burial site of the Belgian monarchs. In December 2014, his beloved Fabiola passed away and was buried by his side. Learn more about royalty, past and present here and share your thoughts on our forums . History | The Belgian Monarchy Belgium became an independent country in 1830. The Monarchy was established in 1831. The first King of the Belgians, King Leopold I Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was sworn in on the 21st of July 1831 and became the first King of the Belgians. Leopold I is the founding King of Belgium. He devoted his reign to making our country a strong and powerful State. Leopold I married Louise-Marie d'Orléans.

It is thanks to this King that Belgium had the first railway line on the European continent, between Brussels and Mechelen, which first came into service in 1835. King Leopold I died on the 10th of December 1865, at the age of 75. King Leopold II The second KIng of the Belgians was born in 1835 and succeeded his father at the age of 30, in 1865. He had four children (three girls and a boy, who unfortunately died at the age of 9) with his wife Marie-Henriette, Archduchess of Austria. He is sometimes called the King-Builder: for example, he built the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken, a huge tropical botanical garden in a “city of glass and steel". He also commissioned the Cinquantenaire in Brussels and Tervuren Park. King Leopold II was passionate about discoveries. He died in 1909. King Albert I He was born in 1875 and was the nephew of King Leopold II. He succeeded him in 1909.

King Leopold II had indeed lost his only son, and at the time, the Princesses (his three daughters) could not reign. King Albert I was married to Elisabeth, Duchess of Bavaria (Germany). King Albert I is known as the King Soldier. Indeed, during the First World War, from 1914, he took command of the army in the field. After the war, King Albert I ordered very important reforms (positive changes for the people) in Belgium: the introduction of universal suffrage (giving the voting right to all men, regardless of their wealth), the equality of the two national languages and the improvement of working conditions for all. On the 17th of February 1934, the King died tragically following a fatal fall from the rocks of Marche-les-Dames, while he was climbing. King Leopold III Born in 1901, he was the son of Albert I. King Leopold II was his godfather. In 1926, Prince Leopold met Princess Astrid of Sweden.

She became Queen of the Belgians when Leopold III became King in 1934, but unfortunately died in 1935 in a car accident in Switzerland. During World War II, despite the fact that Belgium was neutral, Germany still invaded the country in 1940. In 1944, the King and his family were taken prisoner and sent to Germany and Austria. When he was released in 1945, a part of the population was against the return of King Leopold III to Belgium. It was called the Royal Question. Prince Charles, Prince Regent of the Kingdom Born in 1903, the brother of King Leopold III was made Regent of the Kingdom between 1944 and 1950: he replaced the King. During this period, an important step was taken in Belgium: women were given the right to vote in 1948 and Social Security as we know it today, was created. Prince Charles died the same year as his brother in 1983. King Baudouin King Baudouin was born in 1930.

He was the eldest son of King Leopold III and Queen Astrid. On the 17th of July 1951, Prince Baudouin became the fifth King of the Belgians. He was only just 21 years old. The first part of his long reign was marked by the entry of Belgium into the European Economic Community (the predecessor of the European Union) and the independence of the Congo in 1960. In 1960, King Baudouin married Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón (Spain). Queen Fabiola, who was very involved in social issues and very active in the promotion of culture and the arts, died in 2014. Many reforms took place on Belgium’s institutional landscape during King Baudouin’s reign: creation of the Regions (Flemish Region, Walloon Region, Brussels-Capital Region) and the Communities (Flemish-speaking Community, French-speaking Community, German-speaking Community). King Baudouin wanted very much to keep the country together and said so several times in numerous speeches.

In 1976, for the 25th anniversary of his reign, the King Baudouin Foundation was set up. This organisation aims to improve the living conditions of the population, by fighting against poverty, for example. Queen Mathilde is Honorary President of the King Baudouin Foundation. On the 31st of July 1993, after a 42-year reign, King Baudouin died of a heart attack while on holiday in the south of Spain. King Albert II King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola had no children. On the death of King Baudouin, his brother Prince Albert became King under the name of Albert II. Prince Albert was born in 1934. He married Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria, an Italian Princess, in 1959. Prince Albert headed dozens of economic missions for Belgium over 31 years. He was also the President of the Belgian Red Cross from 1958 to 1993. Albert II remained King of the Belgians for 20 years before handing the crown to his son, King Philippe on the 21st of July 2013.

Baudouin of Belgium Baudouin of Belgium Church of Our Lady of Laeken Person Baudouin (7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993) reigned as King of the Belgians, following his father's abdication, from 1951 until his death in 1993. He was the eldest son of King Leopold III (1901–83) and his first wife,Princess Astrid of Sweden (1905–35). Having had no children, the crown passed on to his brother, King Albert II of the Belgians (formerly HRH The Prince of Liège), following his death. He was the first cousin of King Harald V of Norway, Princess Astrid of Norway, and Princess Ragnhild of Norway.Baudouin is the French form of his name, the form most commonly used outside Belgium; his Dutch name is Boudewijn. Very rarely, his name is anglicized as Baldwin.

Full name Baudouin's full name was Baudouin Albert Charles Léopold Axel Marie Gustave de Belgique (pronounced: [bodwɛ̃ albɛʁ ʃaʁl leopɔld aksɛl maʁi ɡystav də bɛlʒik]) in French and Boudewijn Albert Karel Leopold Axel Marie Gustaaf van België (pronounced [ˈbʌu̯dəˌʋɛi̯n ˈɑlbərt ˈkaːrəl ˈleˑjoˑˌpɔlt ˈɑksəl maˑˈri ɣʏsˈtaˑf vɑn ˈbɛlɣijə]) in Dutch.

Full name Baudouin's full name was Baudouin Albert Charles Léopold Axel Marie Gustave de Belgique (pronounced: [bodwɛ̃ albɛʁ ʃaʁl leopɔld aksɛl maʁi ɡystav də bɛlʒik]) in French and Boudewijn Albert Karel Leopold Axel Marie Gustaaf van België (pronounced [ˈbʌu̯dəˌʋɛi̯n ˈɑlbərt ˈkaːrəl ˈleˑjoˑˌpɔlt ˈɑksəl maˑˈri ɣʏsˈtaˑf vɑn ˈbɛlɣijə]) in Dutch. Ascent to the throne Baudouin was born in Stuyvenberg Castle, near Laeken, Brussels, in Belgium, in 1930, the son of Prince Leopold, the Duke of Brabant and his wife, Astrid of Sweden. His father became King of the Belgians, as Leopold III, in 1934. Baudouin's mother died in 1935.

Part of Leopold III's unpopularity was the result of a second marriage in 1941 to Mary Lilian Baels, an English-born Belgian commoner, later known as Princess de Réthy. More controversial had been Leopold's decision to surrender to Nazi Germany during World War II, when Belgium was invaded in 1940; many Belgians questioned his loyalties, but a commission of inquiry exonerated him of treason after World War II. Though reinstated in a plebiscite, the controversy surrounding Leopold led to his abdication. King Leopold III requested the Belgian Government and the Parliament to approve a law delegating his royal powers to his son, Prince Baudouin, who took the constitutional oath before the United Chambers of the Belgian Parliament as Prince Royal on 11 August 1950. He ascended the throne and became the fifth King of the Belgians upon taking the constitutional oath on 17 July 1951, one day following his father's abdication. The Congolese called the young king Mwana Kitoko ("beautiful boy").

Marriage On 15 December 1960, Baudouin was married in Brussels to Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón. The King and Queen had no children; all of the Queen's five pregnancies ended in miscarriage. Notable events During Baudouin's reign the colony of Belgian Congo became independent. The King personally attended the festivities; he gave a speech that received a blistering response by Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. Baudouin attended the State funeral of John F. Kennedy in November 1963, as the head of state of Belgium, and one ofmany dignitaries at that state funeral, along with Paul-Henri Spaak, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and former three-timePrime Minister of Belgium. In 1976, on the 25th anniversary of Baudouin's accession, the King Baudouin Foundation was formed, with the aim of improving the living conditions of the Belgian people. He was the 1,176th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain in 1960 and the 930th Knight of the Order of the Garter.

Religious influences Baudouin was a devout Roman Catholic. Through the influence of Leo Cardinal Suenens, Baudouin participated in the growing Catholic Charismatic Renewal and regularly went on pilgrimages to the French shrine of Paray-le-Monial. In 1990, when a law submitted by Roger Lallemand and Lucienne Herman-Michielsens, liberalising Belgium's abortion laws, was approved by Parliament, he refused to give Royal Assent to the bill. This was unprecedented; although Baudouin was nominally Belgium's chief executive, Royal Assent has long been a formality (as is the case in most constitutional and popular monarchies). However, due to his religious convictions, Baudouin asked the Government to declare him temporarily unable to reign so that he could avoid signing the measure into law. The Government under Wilfried Martens complied with his request on 4 April 1990. According to the provisions of the Belgian Constitution, in the event the King is temporarily unable to reign, the Government as a whole fulfills the role of Head of State.

All members of the Government signed the bill, and the next day (5 April 1990) the Government declared that Baudouin was capable of reigning again. Death, succession, and legacy Baudouin reigned for 42 years. He died of heart failure on 31 July 1993 in the Villa Astrida in Motril, in the south of Spain. Although in March 1992 the King had been operated for a Mitral valve prolapse in Paris, his death still came unexpectedly, and sent much of Belgium into a period of deep mourning. Within hours the Royal Palace gates and enclosure were covered with flowers that people brought spontaneously. A viewing of the body was held at the Royal Palace in central Brussels; 500,000 people (5% of the population) turned up to pay their respects. Many waited in line up to 14 hours in sweltering heat to get to see their King one last time. Elizabeth II attended the funeral in person; by tradition the British monarch attends only those funerals which are of close family members (they were only third cousins) or such politicians as prime ministers who die while in office.

King Baudouin was interred in the royal vault at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken, Brussels, Belgium. He was succeeded by his younger brother, who became King Albert II. 7 September 1930 – 17 February 1934: His Royal Highness The Count of Hainaut 17 February 1934 – 10 August 1950: His Royal Highness The Duke of Brabant 10 August 1950 – 17 July 1951: His Royal Highness The Prince Royal, Duke of Brabant 17 July 1951 – 31 July 1993: His Majesty The King of the Belgians Honours and awards This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the Italian Wikipedia.

Belgian Grand Master and Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold Grand Master of the Order of the African Star Grand Master of the Royal Order of the Lion Grand Master of the Order of the Crown Grand Master of the Order of Leopold II Foreign Austria : Great Star of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (1958)[5] Iceland : Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon (16 October 1979) [6] Italy : Knight Grand Cross decorated with Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (11 June 1966) Japan: Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (1964) Norway : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St.

Olav Portugal : Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (24 August 1982) Spain : Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece Spain : Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (6 December 1960)[7] Spain : Collar of the Order of Charles III (15 November 1977)[8] Thailand : Royal Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri (Thailand) Thailand : Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Chula Chom Klao United Kingdom : Stranger Knight of the Order of the Garter Sweden : Knights of the Order of the Seraphim Denmark : Knight with Collar of the Order of the Elephant Netherlands : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Luxembourg : Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau Kingdom of Greece : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer Iran : Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire (14 October 1971)[9][10] Religious entity Holy See : Knight of the Supreme Order of Christ Holy See : Knight Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of the Holy

 Sepulchre of Jerusalem SMOM : Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Former Royal Families Italy : Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (House of Savoy, 1960) Italy : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (House of Savoy, 1960) Italy : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy (House of Savoy, 1960) Albert II of Belgium (Uncle) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Albert II of Belgium Male Born Jun 6, 1934 Albert II on veels, is the King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch.

He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the uncle of the current reigning Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Henri. related links ABC News - Nov 17, 2015 'Belgium-Spain game called off over security concerns after Paris attacks' Should Queen Elizabeth Ii Step Down? NYTimes - Jul 24, 2013 '\n \n\n In April, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, at the age of 75, abdicated, followed this week by the 79-year-old King <mark>Albert II of Belgium</mark>, who declared he was too old. At 87, Queen Elizabeth II shows no sign of stepping down, and polls show the British people aren\'t asking her to. \n\n Still, as the British royal family welcomes the third in line to the throne, is it time for the queen to go? \n Responses: \n Britons Like the Queen. Why Push Her Out?\n ...

Video: Belgium's King Albert Ii Ends Reign Due To Age, Health CBS News - Jul 04, 2013 '79-year-old King <mark>Albert II of Belgium</mark> has abdicated due to his age and his health. Albert\'s son, crown prince Philippe, will take over later this month. Nancy Cordes reports. \n \n ' CNN - Jul 03, 2013 'King <mark>Albert II of Belgium</mark> is abdicating his throne, effective July 21, he announced Wednesday.' Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Albert II of Belgium. CHILDHOOD 1934 Birth Born on June 6, 1934. 1935 1 Year Old Queen Astrid died in a car accident in August 1935 in which King Leopold was lightly injured but survived. The king later remarried Lilian Baels in 1941 which produced 3 more children: Prince Alexander of Belgium, Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium and Princess Maria-Esmeralda of Belgium.

1940 6 Years Old Prince Albert was born in Stuyvenberg Castle, Brussels. On 10 May 1940, at the time when Belgium was being invaded, Prince Albert, his elder sister Princess JosÃ©phine-Charlotte and his elder brother Prince Baudouin, left the country for France and later Spain. … Read More The Prince and the Princess returned to Belgium on 2 August 1940. They continued their studies until 1944, either at Laeken, or at the Chateau of Ciergnon in the Ardennes. Read Less 1944 10 Years Old In June 1944, at the time of the Allied landings, King Leopold III, Princess Lilian â whom he married in 1941 â and the royal children were deported by the Germans to Hirschstein, Germany, and later to Strobl, Austria, where they were liberated by the American Army on 7 May 1945.

TEENAGE 1945 11 Years Old Due to the political situation in Belgium, King Leopold and his family moved to the villa "Le Reposoir" in Pregny, Switzerland, when they left Austria in October 1945 and stayed until July 1950. … Read More During that time, Prince Albert would continue his education in a secondary school in Geneva. Read Less 1950 16 Years Old King Leopold III, accompanied by Prince Baudouin and Prince Albert, returned to Belgium on 22 July 1950. … Read More In 1958, The Prince Albert, Prince of LiÃ¨ge, went to the Vatican to witness the coronation of Pope John XXIII. At a reception at the Belgian Embassy, the prince met Italian Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria. âWe were both shy, so we only talked a little,â Paola said later about their first meeting. Shy but smitten, Prince Albert proposed marriage to Paola, and she accepted. Two months after their meeting, the Prince introduced his future wife to his family, and four months later to the press.

Upon arriving in Brussels for the first time before her wedding, Princess Paola won over the Belgian media immediately.<br /><br /> The couple, supported by both families, intended to marry at the Vatican. However, the Belgian government disagreed as they felt the Belgian people should not be denied the opportunity to celebrate a royal wedding, particularly after difficult decade post-war. The Pope, after some diplomatic pressure, refused them a marriage at the Vatican, saying he would understand if the couple would want to get married amidst their people. Read Less TWENTIES 1959 25 Years Old On 2 July 1959 he married Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria (born 11 September 1937) in Brussels. … Read More She is the daughter of Fulco VIII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda and his wife, Countess Luisa Gazelli di Rossana e di Sebastiano (1896â1989).

Together they have three children, two sons and a daughter and twelve grandchildren: <br /><br /> Since 1999, the media have claimed that the Belgian sculptor Delphine BoÃ«l (born in 1968) is King Albert II's extramarital daughter. Read Less FIFTIES 1984 50 Years Old In 1984, he set up the Prince Albert Foundation, to promote expertise in foreign trade. 1993 59 Years Old Albert ascended the throne in 1993, following the death of his older brother, King Baudouin, who died without issue. … Read More His godparents were Felix of Bourbon-Parma and his paternal grandmother, Elisabeth of Bavaria. He is the first cousin of King Harald V, Princess Astrid, and Princess Ragnhild of Norway on his mother's side and of Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma, Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy and Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy on his father's side.

Read Less LATE ADULTHOOD 2010 76 Years Old The King had a constitutional role which came into play in 2010â2011 when Belgium's parliament was unable to agree on a government. … Read More When the crisis was resolved, Albert swore in the new government.<br /><br /> In January 2012, Albert announced that the royal family would freeze their allowances and use a greater proportion of their income to maintain the royal palaces. Read Less 2012 78 Years Old Albert sparked controversy in his December 2012 Christmas speech by comparing modern "populist movements" with those of the 1930s. … Read More This was seen by several political commentators, as well as many Flemish politicians, as aimed implicitly at the large Flemish nationalist party, the N-VA.

Bart De Wever, the party's leader, called for the King's role in the formation of Belgian governments to be changed in the wake of this comment since he "could no longer see the monarch as playing the constitutional role of referee." Read Less Belgium: History Belgium History The Beginnings of Belgium Belgium takes its name from the Belgae, a people of ancient Gaul . The Roman province of Belgica was much larger than modern Belgium. There the Franks first appeared in the 3d cent. A.D. The Carolingian dynasty had its roots at Herstal , in Belgium. After the divisions (9th cent.) of Charlemagne's empire, Belgium became part of Lotharingia and later of the duchy of Lower Lorraine, which occupied all but the western part of the Low Countries . In the 12th cent., Lower Lorraine disintegrated; the duchies of Brabant (see Brabant, duchy of ) and Luxembourg and the bishopric of Liège took its place. The histories of these feudal states and of Flanders and Hainaut constitute the medieval history of Belgium.

The salient development was the rise of the cities (e.g., Ghent, Bruges, and Ypres) to virtual independence and economic prosperity through their wool industry and trade. In the 15th cent., all of present Belgium passed to the dukes of Burgundy , who strove to curtail local liberties. Simultaneously the wool industry declined, mainly because of English competition. With the death (1482) of Mary of Burgundy a period of foreign domination began (see Netherlands, Austrian and Spanish for the period from 1477 to 1794). Belgium was occupied by the French during the French Revolutionary Wars and transferred from Austria to France by the Treaty of Campo Formio (1797). After the defeat (1815) of Napoleon at Waterloo, just S of Brussels, Belgium was given to the newly formed kingdom of the Netherlands (the decision was made at the Congress of Vienna; see Vienna, Congress of ). Under King William I of the Netherlands, the Belgians resented measures that discriminated against them in favor of the Dutch, especially in the areas of language and religion. A rebellion broke out in Brussels in 1830, and Belgian independence was declared.

William I invaded Belgium but withdrew when France and England intervened in 1832. The Kingdom of Belgium Belgian independence was approved by the European powers at the London Conference of 1830–31 (see under London Conference ). In 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was chosen king of the Belgians and became Leopold I . A final Dutch-Belgian peace treaty was signed in 1839, and the "perpetual neutrality" of Belgium was guaranteed by the major powers, including Prussia, at the London Conference of 1838–39. The new country was among the first in Europe to industrialize and soon led the continent in the development of railways, coal mining, and engineering. Under the rule (1865–1909) of Leopold II rapid industrialization and colonial expansion, notably in the Congo, were accompanied by labor unrest and by the rise of the Socialist party in opposition to the reactionary and clerical groups.

Social conditions improved under Albert I (reigned 1909–34), who also granted universal and equal male suffrage (the vote was extended to women in 1948). After the outbreak of World War I (Aug., 1914), Germany invaded Belgium in order to attack France by the easiest route; this flagrant violation of Belgian neutrality shocked much of the world and brought Great Britain, as one of Belgium's guarantors, into the war. The unexpected resistance of the Belgians against such heavy odds won widespread admiration, and German atrocities in Belgium, publicized by the Allies, played an important part in consolidating U.S. opinion against Germany. All of Belgium except a small strip in West Flanders, which served as a battle front throughout the war (see, e.g., Ypres ), was conquered by Oct. 10, 1914, and the people suffered under a harsh occupation regime. The Belgian army, under the personal leadership of Albert I, fought in West Flanders and France throughout the war.

Under the Treaty of Versailles after the war, Belgium received the strategically important posts of Eupen, Malmédy, and Moresnet, and a mandate over the northwestern corner of former German East Africa. In World War II, Germany, which in 1937 had guaranteed Belgian neutrality, attacked and occupied Belgium in May, 1940. King Leopold III (reigned 1934–51) surrendered unconditionally on May 28, but the Belgian cabinet, in exile at London, continued to oppose Germany. German occupation inaugurated a reign of terror. Liberation by British and American troops, aided by a Belgian underground army, came in Sept., 1944. The unsuccessful German counteroffensive of Dec., 1944–Jan., 1945 (see Battle of the Bulge ), caused much destruction, adding to damage previously wrought by invasion and by Allied air raids. Postwar Belgium Belgium's industrial plant had remained relatively intact despite the war, enabling the economy to recover far more rapidly than those of the other nations of Western Europe.

The immediate political issue was the return of Leopold III, who was barred from Belgium until 1950. Popular discontent led to his abdication (1951) in favor of his eldest son, Baudouin . An economic union between Belgium and Luxembourg, formed in 1921 (the first of its kind in 20th-century Europe), was superseded in 1958 by the Benelux Economic Union , which also includes the Netherlands. An early proponent of a united Europe and a firm advocate of collective security, Belgium is the seat of many important European Union functions and the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In 1960 the Belgian Congo was given its independence, with subsequent economic and political turmoil in Belgium, especially after the eruption of violence in the Congo. Belgian forces helped the French in suppressing an indigenous rebellion in Congo (Kinshasa) in 1978. Long-standing tensions between the Dutch- and French-speaking elements flared during the 1960s, toppling several governments and making it increasingly difficult to form new ones.

Sweeping constitutional reform begun in the early 1970s created three partially autonomous regions (Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels) and three politically recognized ethnic communities (French, Flemish [Dutch speakers], and German), but ethnic discord continued throughout the 1980s. New reforms passed in 1993 gave the regions additional autonomy and created a federal state. In Dec., 1981, the Christian Democrat-Liberal coalition, under the leadership of Wilfried Martens , came into power in Belgium. His prime ministership saw unpopular economic reforms, and interparty strife toppled the government in 1987. A year later, however, a new coalition took control of the government, again led by Martens, which was composed of the Flemish and Walloon Socialist parties, the Christian Social party, and the Flemish Volksunie party. In 1992 a center-left coalition government of Socialists and Christian Democrats led by Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene of the Flemish Social Christian party came to power. King Baudouin died in 1993 and was succeeded by his brother, Albert II .

Following a food scare involving dioxins found in animal and dairy products, Dehaene's government fell in 1999, and Guy Verhofstadt became the new prime minister, leading a coalition of Liberals, Socialists, and Greens. Elections in 2003 resulted in a victory for the Liberals and Socialists, but the Greens lost most of their seats and were excluded from Verhofstadt's new government. In July, 2004, the Flemish Bloc, an anti-immigrant, Flemish separatist party, won nearly a quarter of the vote in regional and European elections in Flanders, but the party was subsequently convicted (Nov., 2004) of being racist and forced to disband and reform. The parliamentary elections in June, 2007, led to gains for the Christian Democrats, and losses for the Liberals and Socialists. Ethnic and political divisions, particularly the question of increased devolution for Dutch Belgium, stymied the formation of a new government for more than six months.

In December the king asked Verhofstadt to lead an interim government for up to three months, and in Mar., 2008, Christian Democrat Yves Leterme became prime minister of a five-party coalition government. Four months later, Leterme submitted his resignation over the broad-based government's failure to reach an agreement on increased regional autonomy. The king, however, rejected it and called for further negotiations on autonomy. Accusations of government meddling in a court case concerning the sale of the Belgian operations of Fortis, a troubled bank and Belgium's largest private sector employer, led to the government's resignation in December. The same five parties subsequently re-formed a government, with Flemish Christian Democrat Herman Van Rompuy as prime minister. When Van Rompuy resigned (Nov., 2009) to become president of the European Union's European Council, Leterme succeeded him as prime minister. Language-community-related issues led to the collapse of the coalition in Apr., 2010. The June elections resulted in a narrow victory for the separatist New Flemish Alliance, but it only won slightly more than one sixth of the lower-house seats.

The formation of a new government became an even more prolonged affair than in 2007–8, continuing until Dec., 2011, when Flemish and French Socialist, Christian Democrat, and Liberal parties formed a six-party government with French Socialist Elio Di Rupo as prime minister. In July, 2013, the king abdicated and was succeeded by his son Philippe . Sections in this article:

Question: Albert II became King of the Belgians in 1993 on the death of his brother. What was his brother's name?
Answer: BAUDOUIN